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According to reports from Brussels the plans being prepared by Federica Mogherini are being kept secret until after the UK's referendum on EU membership on June 23.

Our external action must become more joined up across policy area

The draft

The paper urges the EU to create defence structures using mechanisms set out in the 2009 Lisbon treaty.

The draft said: "The EU can step up its contribution to Europe's security and defence.

"Our external action must become more joined up across policy areas, institutions and member states. Greater unity of purpose is needed across the policy areas making up our external action."

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Penny Mordaunt made the warning following the revelations from the Lisbon Treaty

The proposals refer to "permanent structured defence co-operation" powers that allow a group of nine or more EU states to press ahead with plans for a military headquarters.

It follows an agreement by the Germans and Dutch to merge their army and navy to form the nucleus of a single EU military force.

Talks are also ongoing to include the Czechs and under the terms of the Lisbon Treaty, signed in 2007 by Gordon Brown, the Anglo-French defence arrangement means that Britain and France would also be obliged to join the EU army.

Worryingly for many in the Brexit campaign, Prime Minister David Cameron has broken a promise to withdraw Britain from the European Defence Agency, set up with the specific intention of creating a single EU military force.

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Penny Mordaunt and Priti Patel campaign to get the UK out of Europe

EU referendum: Reasons to vote in & out

Tue, May 24, 2016

On the 23 June Britain decides whether to leave or remain in the European Union.
Here are 6 reasons to vote in or out.

Last night a Government spokesman claimed that Britain would have a veto and would "never" join a single EU military force.

But this has been flatly contradicted by Ms Mordaunt who is responsible for the armed forced and warned of the dangers of a single EU army.

She said: "If we stay in the EU the Lisbon treaty gives us the worst of all worlds: powerless the prevent EU army it paves the way for, and we, as only one of two full spectrum defence nations in the EU, would be bound to support, and its actual work subject to the veto of any member nation, even those who are contributing little to its support.

"As usual with the EU the plan for this army would see Britain paying highest price and but getting a raw deal. They've done that with our budget, I'm not going to let that happen to our armed forces."

She told voters that the only way that Britain can avoid an EU army is to back Brexit on 23 June.

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A Government spokesman claimed the UK would never join an EU army

She said: "Outside the EU Britain could choose which missions it contributed too, and both EU and non-EU states would welcome our contribution and leadership because our armed forces are second to none."

Highlighting the dangers of a single EU force, she went on: "A centrally controlled army would be a massive step to the EU's goal of full political integration, but it would be a very dangerous move.

"The EU is not an alliance like NATO, its current collective defence structures hoover up resource but add little to Europe defence.

"Today the EU battle group, the EUs rapid reaction force, which requires the conditions of every member state to be met, and then an Council resolution, has never deployed and the EU's missions are vulnerable to having their funding vetoed.

"You could expect the EU army to operate in the same way and that is a wasteful way to organise your defence."